Mark Ford

Mark
Ford is a marimba artist and the Coordinator of Percussion at The
University of North Texas College of Music in Denton, Texas. As a
Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society and the coordinator of one
of the largest percussion programs in the United States at UNT, Ford is an
active performer and composer. Mark has been featured as a marimba
soloist throughout the United States at universities, festivals and music
conferences. He has performed internationally throughout Europe as well as in
Japan, China, Taiwan, Australia and South America. In addition to his
duties at UNT, Ford is also the Artistic Director for the annual Drum Fest
Marimba/Vibraphone Competition in Opole, Poland.

With
over three decades of performing, teaching and composing to his credit, Mark’s
recordings have established his dedication to excellence in music. Ford’s solo
marimba CDs, Stealing a Moment, Motion Beyond and Polaris,
have become standards in the percussion world. His CDs have been
described by PAS’ Percussive Notes as “beautiful,
exceptional and virtuosic.” Mark has also recorded numerous
concertos with the UNT Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene Corporon.
These include two DVDs and a CD with Japanese virtuoso marimbist Keiko
Abe as well as the latest 2017 Wind Symphony recording, Stubernic
Fantasy, which includes marimba/percussion concertos by Jennifer
Higdon, Daniel McCarthy, Keiko Abe and Ford (this recording will be released in
December 2017).

As
a composer Mark Ford has written popular works for solo marimba and percussion
ensemble including Marimba Heritage, Head Talk, Polaris, Kingdom
Lore Fanfare, Stubernic, Afta-Stuba!, Morning Light, The Surface of Life
and Coffee Break (co-composed with Ewelina Ford). His Stubernic
Fantasy Concerto was premiered in Poland (orchestral version by The
Opole Philharmonic) and the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Convention (wind
ensemble version by the Lone Star Wind Symphony) and has been performed on tour
by the US Navy Band and the US Air Force Band. His compositions have been
performed at universities and concert halls throughout the world and also
featured on National Public Radio. His most recent works include Moon
Chasers for solo marimba, IE2 written for the Ju
Percussion Group in Taiwan and Pivot Point for saxophone quartet,
marimba and cajon. Ford is also the author of Marimba:
Technique Through Music, a four-mallet marimba method book published by
Innovative Percussion, Inc. His new book for marimba, Marimba
Songbook will be released in the fall of 2017.

Ford
has been recognized as a leading percussion educator, and his former students
perform and teach throughout the country. Under his direction the UNT
Percussion Ensemble has toured in Poland, Croatia, France and Belgium and also
won the PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition. Mark Ford
proudly represents Innovative Percussion Inc., Dynasty Percussion, Bergerault,
Zildjian, Evans Drum Heads, and Meinl Percussion as performing artist and
clinician.

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Developing your interpretation
of the music you play is one of
the most important and
satisfying aspects of music
making. Your interpretation
reflects your ideas and feelings
about the music.
Unfortunately, younger
musicians usually concentrate
only on understanding the
notes and rhythms of a
marimba solo. Obviously, this
is important, but it’s only fifty percent of the job.
Communicating your emotional connection with the
music through your interpretation is essential to the
“magic” of music. Think about how a certain
performance or piece of music has touched you in the
past. When you perform you want to connect with an
audience in the same way that music connected with
you.

The first time you hold four mallets in an attempt to make music at the marimba can be pretty
frustrating. The beginning four-mallet player has a lot to think about: moving intervals, proper
grip, different strokes, and, of course, playing the notes! This beginning process can be
overwhelming. Here are some marimba floor exercises that I have developed for beginners. The
idea is to practice the technique of four mallets to gain confidence before playing the instrument.
More information on marimba technique is covered in my method book, Marimba: Technique
Through Music (Innovative Percussion Publications).